This baker is learning some lessons on what to bake

I am a baker. I'm a pretty darn good baker. Well, I love to cook period, but I really love to bake. And that includes all kinds of baking. Cookies, cakes, pies, quick breads and yeasted breads. What I am finding, however, is that I cannot keep my fingers out of cookie dough - no matter what kind. Or out of cake batter or frosting. I simply cannot.

Pies are a bit better, but if there is any leftover pie crust (and there always is) it's too tempting to roll it out and sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar and then eat that. Yum! And fruit fillings are easy to munch on... But pies are a better choice as it is harder to nibble on. So, I now make mini pies for kids lunches fairly often. I just have to use all the pie crust!

But what about yeast breads? I love to make bread! And you cannot nibble on the dough! Score! And I can make breads sweet or savory for the family. And as much as I love bread (and I really do). I can resist the finished product. Even when they are my favorite cinnamon rolls. Plus, working with breads is a workout. I do most of my kneading by machine, but I always do big batches and have to work the dough down the sides of the bowl (machine is a Electrolux dlx2000). And then there is the final kneading and shaping or rolling of the dough.

My family loves my homemade breads and of all baked things to make my family, the breads are the healthiest too. And I always make whole grain breads or at least 50% whole wheat. The cinnamon rolls I make that my family loves is made with rolled oats, whole wheat flour and white flour. It is so good and so much better for you than regular cinnamon rolls.

So, today I baked bread. Did a quadruple batch and made one loaf of honey wheat oatmeal bread and then 3 pans of Cinnamon rolls using the same dough. I'll freeze one or two pans, depending on how fast the family chows down on it. Best of all, I still get to do my hobby of baking without the temptations of sampling the goods before they are done and I'm not tempted by the final product.

So happy to have figured that out about myself.... Other goodies will just have to be a rarity at least until I get to maintenance. I just can't stay out of batter!

Stats for 2/4/12:

Highest weight: 275. Now: 175.6
Total hours exercised in 2012: 25/250